as living smart anchor lesli foster shows us, these charges are for things like premium text messages, e-mail accounts and voicemail services you never wanted or received. >> reporter: teens. adults. >> i think it's a trap. >> reporter: anyone with a cell phone can get crammed. >> definitely a scam. >> reporter: and it starts on the internet. promises of free fillups. when prizes. get coupons. the catch. provide your cell phone number. jason freed did it. >> it said i know your cell phone number. >> reporter: for an online obama voting quiz. >> i got my cell phone bill and it had premium text message charge for $9 99. and each time i got a check it was $9.99. >> reporter: and it can be embarrassing. this woman's daughter showed up using her cell phone number. >> they think you'll never notice it's on there. >> reporter: and this doctor isn't even sure how they got his number to charge his bill. >> they said your son authorized it. i said that can't be. he hasn't lived here for 15 years. >> reporter: recently the florida attorney general talked about charges that weren't so free. free

lesli foster for 9news now and wusa9.com. >>> now back to those claims of the acai berry helping to cure cancer or protect you against h1n1. the fda has not evaluated acai and the health benefits are still being studied. and about the celebrity endorsement, oprah winfrey's people say she's not associated with nor does she endorse any acai products or online solicitation of such products. >>> tomorrow night at 11:00, buying a ticket to the movies can cost you anywhere from 8 to 10 bucks. but we'll show you how to see the latest action flick or suspense thriller for free. that's tomorrow at 11:00 on 9news now. >>> and brett is back in three minutes. walmart checks other stores' prices so we can save on all our game time favorites. and if there is a better price out there, they'll even match it. which means come game time... ...i'm just as ready as he is. game time costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. now you can save more every time that you shop, with thousands of items at prices that pop. now double the number of deals through the store, with your new card, you can't

lesli foster for 9 news now

lesli foster checks it out. >> many are traded cash for credit. all of those numbers give us a false sense of security. just ask dan. >> i didn't know there was a problem until i go to use the credit card one day and it is declined. >> reporter: he was traveling abroad when bandits struck. >> his credit card company acted fast and threw out the $2,000 charges someone made in his name. >> they only found those two charges i have not made and i have never had a problem since. >> reporter: most of us have no idea we are actually handing over our accounts too crooks. >> this, for instance, this $20 or so on ebay. >> it is called a card skimmer. easy to get and easier to use. >> they have now stolen all of the information on your card. >> reporter: something to remember the next time you let your card out of your sight. >> this fraudulent card is every bit as valuable as this visa card. >> reporter: the company says their technology takes a fingerprint of your card and prevent thieves from cloning your card. >> this time the same fraudulent card. you r

. >>> good evening, i'm lesli foster. while the nation pauses to remember the nearly 3000 people killed by terrorists on september 11, 2001, a coastguard exercise on the potomac caused some to relive that panic moment all over again. some news agencies mistakenly reported the drill as a real attack and now the media and coastguard are feeling the heat. audrey barnes joins us live from the banks of the potomac with more. what happened, audrey. >> reporter: the pentagon is just on the other side of the trees behind me and while the president and other officials and relatives of those killed there eight years ago were remembering that. the coastguard boats were simulating an attack. that training exercise and the way the media handled it are the focus of much scrutiny. >> they announced this is a drill, an exercise. >> reporter: apparently not everyone heard the radio transmission that the coastguard was only holding a drill on potomac this morning. they picked up radio trackers from the drill and mistakenly thinking that it

and lesli foster will have that story when we come back. >>> more people are talking about sewing theses be but which machines are worth the money. >> fashion designers keep you competing for their clothes. it sparks an interest in an old hobby. they tested several machines including one by brother called the project runway. this tester tried 18 different ones. this one for $5,000 threads a needle with a push of a butt button. she checked to see how it handles all materials, even thick jeans. not all of the machines could handle the pressure. >> a mechanical machine i have to select the stitch, select the length and the wideth. >> the electronic machine selects the setting for whichever switch you choose. >> you can see it has 43 programmed stitches including basic utility stitches, straight stitch, zigzag, buttonholes and some decorative stitches. >> reporter: that's good enough to put a finishing touch on everything from clothing to costumes and curtains. leslie says september is national sewing month and it is a great time to get deals on patterns and materials. >>> there was a chill

lesli foster found over packing offenders that have consumers raising their voices. >> reporter: paper products like cardboard boxes used for shipping make up a third of the municipal solid waste in the united states. could we cutback? consumer reports mandy walker says people send in letters complaining about small items arriving in too much packaging. to see for itself cr ordered several small items from 13 companies including avon, staples, drugstore.com oriental trading company and best buy. >> we were really surprised to find some of these tiny items came in boxes that were way too big. >> for example, this package from drugstore.com contains just one lip baum. these socks from avon arrived from one lip baum. >> oriental trading company, just one small vial of beads. and look at this box from staples, it could easily fit 200 pencils but contains just one. >> we consulted a packaging expert and we found companies can save money if they buy the same size boxes for everything they ship. >> reporter: not every package arrives oversized. this small pack of batteries came in a small shi

good evening, i'm lesli foster. virginia's golf governor race was there. economy was probably a big topic. >> absolutely. both bob and creigh deeds talked about how they each would create jobs and get the economy moving again. but some new ground came up on their views about the opposition to president obama. campaign workers lined the entrance to capital one, which started on mcdonald's thesis. >> the state aught to be involved in contraceptive decisions. >> carrying out an antiwoman agenda, mcdonald countered by pointing out his working wife and daughters in the audience. >> my daughter was serving in baghdad, iraq. had 25

lesli foster has more. >> reporter: find yourself in an emergency room and you may find out you haven insurance. too many of us have falling victim to hazard us a health care plans but you don't discover the problem until you are sick. gina eaten knows her policy has such a high deductible she opted not to get treatment after a miscarriage. >> i went to bed for three or four days and tried not to walk around or do anything. just stood still and hoped it would heal itself. >> reporter: the policies are like swiss cheese and the way it is written it is hard to spot the gaps. even the insurance expert we hired to help us had a hard time deciphering them. the was word on many policies is affordable. >> many big-name insurance companies are offering these. they look like a good deal because the premiums are low but they are low for a reason. they are riddled with loop holes and exclusions and they will not cover your expenses if you ever fall seriously ill. >> reporter: here's how to avoid them. never buy one labeled limited benefits or not major medical insurance. next, don't leave out a

. >>> good evening i'm lesli foster.f the most popular washington redskins players are under attack for how they run their nonprofit youth program since retiring from pro football. art mauck and charles mann have remained silent

good evening, i'm lesli foster. you might call it a presidential pep talk for healthcare reform. in two hours, president obama takes to the airways, making a final sales pitch for his plan. so what does he need to say to win over his opponent? audrey barnes joins us live from the information center with more. >> lesli, president obama has a challenge tonight and an opportunity. his challenge reconvincing past supporters who are

good evening, i'm lesli foster. we begin with a developing story out of north carolina.ht now, several people are in custody for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack on the marine base. we'll get right out there who is in the 9news now information center with more on this. what are you learning? >> yes, well, these guys, they have been in jail for months. but the big news tonight is that they allegedly cased them and they had maps of the base that they were allegedly using out there to plan an attack. according to this new indictment.

lesli foster for 9 news now and wusa9.com. >>> consumer reports says in addition to the incomprehensible language the so-called affordable plans, people have no idea how high medical costs can go. to read the complete report go to our website at wusa9.com and click on living smart. from the first local station with news in high definition this is 9 news now. >>> a huge cleanup project is expected to take weeks after a massive water main break loads a maryland neighborhood. i'm angie goff in for andrea. patranya bhoolsuwan is in with traffic and we don't have a winning forecast in the offering. >> it is not a losing forecast and a great weekend behind us and a good day today but a chance of showers as we head to tomorrow afternoon. start with a look aft the satellite and radar. if you join me on facebook i have the forecast out there every morning dark and early. a few clouds across the region but showers to the west. temperatures in the 50s. we're at 61. hagerstown, i don't think they are 67 but that's what the airport is reporting and 53 in southern maryland. look for a few clouds but s

." >> good evening again, i'm anita brikman in for lesli foster. you be willing to pay more than $9 to drive just 18 miles? that is how much some drivers will pay to drive on maryland's inter county connector. live via skip tonight. >> i'm here on 198 which is a big

. >>> good evening, i'm lesli foster. it is the heckle that just won't go away. than a half hour ago, the house of representatives voted to congress joe wilson who yelled you lie at the president of the united states. first, stan up on capitol hill now following the debate here in our information center, bruce? >> yeah, leslie, this information is one of the disapprovals, pass overwhelmly and largely around the yards. seven republicans felt strongly enough about the house rules that they voted to senture congressman wilson and 12 democrats voted to support the once ab secured congressman -- obscured congressman from south carolina. >> reporter:t

. >> good evening, i'm lesli foster. it was the heckle that shocked

. >>> good evening, i'm lesli foster.ro transit police in dc are closely monitoring the terror investigation tonight out of denver and new york. sources tell 9 news now that there is some suspicion that one of suspects may have been targeting grand central station in -- manhattan. there is no indication he was looking at dc. but bruce la sham reports, will is another thread that leads to our area. >> the investigation focuses on